(Reuters
Health) - Many people with hepatitis C end up not receiving adequate
treatment, because they lose their way through the medical system during
the early stages of their care, researchers say.
In
Philadelphia, only about 2 percent of patients thought to be infected
with the hepatitis C virus end up receiving treatment, health department
officials there estimated.
“It’s
a serious problem,” said the study’s lead author Kendra Viner. “There
are actions that need to be taken at every level to move people through
the continuum.”